A Different World
by mamaeve
Summary: OOC - Bella, her mother, brother, and two nephews are abducted on the highway along with other motorists while driving through Seattle. Bella & the boys are separated from her mother & brother. What happened to them? Rated T for now...
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: The names of the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just changed them a bit. This story came from a nightmare I had, so Bella sounds sort of like me. This is my first time writing anything I'm sharing with the world. I've done a bit of research on some things and will continue to do so as/if the need arises. I hope you like it!

A Different World

Chapter 1: Traveling

Monday morning; Forks, Washington; the middle of January. I am not a morning person, and definitely not on Monday morning. That particular morning I had plans to go to Cottage Lake; a suburb just outside Seattle with my mother Renee', my brother Marcus, and his two sons, Justin and Jonathan. We were all living in my mom's modest two story house which is quite chaotic at times, but it's alright, I could handle chaos.

"Are you ready yet, Jonathan?" I prodded my youngest nephew from the bottom of the stairs. "Your appointment is at 10:00 and everybody else has already eaten! Hurry up!"

"I'm almost ready, Aunt Bella!" he shouted to me down the stairs. It was a miracle that Renee was ready. She took forever just to get ready to go to the grocery store; I figured she was just as anxious about this appointment as the rest of us.

I was 21 and had just moved back home from the University of Oregon in December, graduating with a BA in Art History. I made extravagant plans to attend grad school the following year. Meanwhile, I took a year off to help my brother and mom with my nephews. I missed them all so much. Marcus lost his wife in a horrible car accident earlier that year. After the death, my brother sank into a deep depression and was hopeless to his boys. My mother went to visit them one weekend three months after his wife died and found their living conditions appalling – no food in the house except sugar and salt laden snacks and the house looked like it hadn't been cleaned thoroughly since his wife was alive. My mother insisted – rather demanded – that they all move in with her until Marcus was more equipped to care for his boys.

When their mother died, Justin was 11 and Jonathan was 8. Justin was always a very active kid, heavy into sports and loved physical activity. When he came home from school he did his homework and whatever we chores we asked of him, and when he finished we wouldn't see him until the streetlights came on and dinner was on the table. He kept his cell phone with him so we could call and check on him and make sure he was alright, and he was. He was almost always at the neighbor boy's house or just down the street at the community park. When Jonathan was born the doctors informed us that there was a problem with his heart; he was on medication from the day he was born. Within the past couple months of the year, his medication either stopped working or caused him to have fainting spells. It hurt my heart to see him having such trouble; he was never able to run and jump around like other boys his age and to add fainting spells on top of everything else I am sure made him feel like quite the outcast. Marcus and Renee' were always on my case for babying him too much; I couldn't help it… He was my 'baby'.

"Dammit! Why does Cottage Lake have to be so fucking far away?" Marcus asked rhetorically.

I just laughed. He was lucky our appointment wasn't any earlier than 10:00. If we didn't get a move on we would definitely be late. Cottage Lake is four hours away from Forks, so I was happy to get everyone out of the house at 5:00, concerned about rush hour and winter road conditions as we approached the city. What did they do when I was away at the University? I couldn't imagine how they functioned since they relied on me to be the mother hen since I arrived. I performed almost all the cooking and did most of the housework, but I let them fend for themselves when it came to their bedrooms and laundry.

I insisted on driving, I cannot relax when anyone else is driving. I had been in too many car accidents where other people were behind the wheel, I've never been in an accident when I was driving. We had to go through the city so I would definitely be more relaxed if it was my responsibility.

Traffic was pretty good for a Monday Morning and I was pleased as I reached the middle of Seattle when all of a sudden cars started slipping on ice and veering left and right. I tried to peer through the falling snow at several figures I saw standing about ½ a mile away, and I was instantly frightened. I placed my foot back on the gas pedal, ready to floor it to get through the awful mess, thinking to myself: _ you can do this! Everything will be fine… keep driving. _ As soon as I had that thought and my foot touched the pedal, I was paralyzed by a man in a long, heavy, down-filled coat banging on my window. Another man approached the other side, held a shotgun up to our old car, and told us to get out.

"What's going on here?" Marcus demanded.

"Everyone out of the car!" the man on Renee's side of the car shouted.

"Just do as they say," Marcus told us. We quickly got out of the vehicle and stood next to Marcus.

Thankfully we were under a freeway overpass which blocked some of the wind. It was 8:00, I had a fleeting question in my mind as to why Seattle so quiet at this hour on a Monday morning, but that question was quickly thrown out as I stood by Marcus, Renee and the boys in front of the man with the shotgun.

The man handed us off to a group of seven men with guns standing in front of a large group of people who were presumably pulled out of their cars as well. We were all backed up against the wall of the overpass.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Justin asked his father.

"I'm not sure, son. Stay close." He tried to reassure him. I stood next to Jonathan with my arm around him. To my right was Renee'.

"Are they planning on killing us? Why?" I whispered into Renee's ear. She just looked at me and did not say a word. I thought she was about to cry. We stood there against that wall for another ten minutes when one of the men shouted, "Is that highway blocked off now? We don't have all day!"

"Yes, Sir!" a very young boy replied. He looked not much older than Justin, who just turned 11 on December 20th. We were filed up the on ramp of the express way on the other side of the over pass and led to a huge old brick building across the service drive. No one spoke a word. We entered the building from a basement door that faced the service drive. Once inside, I was instantly reminded of the basement of the old elementary school I attended back in Forks as a kid. Thankfully the temperature was warmer in the building than on the street but I am certain all of us in that group felt cold from the vibes they were getting in this place. Everyone stood in this long dark hallway for about a half hour before the line started moving. As me and my family got closer, I noticed children were being separated from the adults and I panicked instantly. The children were being led to an oddly bright yellow room and were told to stand facing against the wall as their parents were tearfully pried away from them and pushed out another door. There had to be 30 kids in this room and I could feel my heart racing and wondered if Jonathan's was going to be ok. When it was our turn to enter the room I stood right by our boys and held onto them for dear life. There was no way in hell I was about to be separated from them. When the men in the room dressed in military fatigues threatened our group of parents, telling them to leave, I didn't make a sound but kneeled facing the wall in between Jonathan and Justin crying my eyes out. I saw through my tears that Renee' and Marcus were pushed out of the room like the rest of the parents. My brother looked at me as I kneeled beside his boys and I had a feeling I would see him soon, but I wasn't sure about seeing Renee again. I was terrified. As my cries became louder, one of the men approached me.

"You must leave with the rest of the adults! On your feet…. NOW!" he screamed at me. I didn't stand up, but turned my tear-stained, reddened, face to look at him and said, "I cannot leave them! This one," holding Jonathan in my arms, "has a heart condition! We were on our way to take him to a specialist in Cottage Lake! He is about to run out of his medication and will most likely need a new prescription. You can't make me leave him!" I pleaded with the man. He sighed and called a heavyset woman over to where we were. This woman did not look friendly at all despite her appearance. She was dressed in jeans and a button up plaid shirt. "Go ahead and take these three to your office."

The heavyset woman did not tell us her name, but led us to a large room, devoid of people, and looked like a day care play room. The boys sat down on a brightly colored rug in the middle of the room while the woman whipped out a clipboard which seemed to come out of nowhere and began asking me questions about Jonathan's health. I reiterated our plans for the morning and gave her as much information as I knew about Jonathan. She asked about Justin's health and I told her he was as healthy as a horse to my knowledge. "All right, wait here." She told us quite plainly. She picked up a walkie talkie and I strained my ears to hear what she was saying. After a few minutes the boys relaxed and began leafing through books on the short shelves near the round rugs they were sitting on. _Oh to be a child and be so innocent_, I thought as I looked at them lovingly. Then my thoughts turned to my mother and Marcus. _Where were they taken? Just what the hell is going on here? Someone better give me some answers._ As soon as I finished that thought, a short, spiky-haired, smiling woman bounced through the door

"Hi! I'm Alice!" she beamed at the three of us. Finally a friendly face, but it seemed very odd and she caught me off guard.

"Umm… Hello." I murmured.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Isabella Swan." I stated simply.

"And your boys-they're so handsome!" She exclaimed.

"They are my nephews. Justin," I patted his back, "and Jonathan."

"Aww, they're so sweet!" I wondered how she could tell; they hadn't spoken a word to her and barely looked at her. "Come with me, we're gonna have so much fun!" I nearly glared at her. This place was getting more bizarre the longer I stayed. Strangely enough, I felt kind of comfortable around this 'Alice' woman and was relieved to be around someone who wasn't scaring the crap out of me and the boys. I decided that I would ask her about what the fuck was going on here after we got to where she was leading us. By the time we got out into the hall, all the people were gone.

"Where did everyone go?" I asked.

"Oh it'll be ok. They're fine." She waved her hand in the air.

She seemed to be so nonchalant; these assholes were basically kidnapping carfuls of people on the highway! Was Alice nuts? I began to wonder. We took an elevator to the 6th floor of the building and were lead to a room with six or seven beds, a television with a DVD player hooked up to it, toys for children, and a wall with four book cases, completely full. "Wait here," Alice told us. The boys sat down next to me and we all cried, wondering what happened to Renee and Marcus. After an hour or so, the boys fell asleep after being awake at 4:00 this morning. Seeing them sleeping so peacefully, I drifted off involuntarily and was awoken with a knock upon the door. I didn't move a muscle, wondering what was in store for us now. A man with short, curly blond hair came in the room and asked, "Are you hungry?" I nudged the boys awake and asked them if they would like something to eat. Both boys groggily nodded their heads. "Yes," I told the man, "Thank you very much."

"I'm Jasper, by the way,"

"Bella," I replied, stroking Jonathan's hair.

I inspected and divided the food he brought us: three turkey lunchmeat sandwiches, 3 bags of chips, a can of soda, 2 juice boxes, an apple, an orange, and a banana. I really didn't feel like eating anything as my nerves were still fried from being abducted earlier, and losing my mom and Marcus. The man named Jasper left us, and the boys began devouring their lunch. After they finished eating, they found a puzzle that interested them and they began assembling it on the white tile floor while I leafed through a book and waited… for what, I wasn't quite sure.

Time just seemed to drag on that first afternoon; I still had no answers as to what was the deal behind abducting all these people. There was a huge bay window behind the beds and I spent a lot of time looking outside. I didn't see any people out the window at all. Where were they? Someone was going to have to tell me something soon.

Around 5:00, I peered through the window on the door to our room just as a tall blond woman knocked on our door. She did not wait for permission to enter as Jasper did, but brusquely opened the door. I had a fleeting thought about why the people around here bothered to knock, they seemed to be able to come and go as they pleased, we were locked in this room.

"You're Bella?" She damn near demanded of me.

"Um... yes," I stated, it almost sounded like a question, and I kicked myself for being intimidated by her.

"Which one of the boys requires medical attention?" She sighed.

"Umm... Jonathan," I mumbled. _Oh Christ! I did it again..._ What was with this woman? I was determined not to let her mess with me anymore.

"I received some paperwork from Theresa, the woman you spoke with down stairs. The paperwork says that Jonathan has a heart condition and that you were passing through Seattle to Cottage Lake to take him to a doctor's appointment because his symptoms have gotten worse. Is that information correct?"

"Yes, Dr. Snow."

"Alright," she sighed again. "Dr. Carlisle Cullen will be with you shortly."

"Fine," I blurted out. I started to demand some answers from the blond woman, but her overall demeanor suggested that if I were to ask anything about what was going on there would be some kind of confrontation. I wasn't willing to subject the boys to a heated argument after all they had been through that day.

Dr. Cullen came in shortly after the blond woman left. "I apologize for Rosalie's behavior. She doesn't think you've been here long enough to be allowed on the Sixth Floor. New citizens normally stay on the Fifth Floor until they've been acclimated to this new lifestyle. But, I spoke with my son and both of us agreed that you needed to be seen by me, instead of the doctors on the Fifth Floor. Rosalie mentioned you had an appointment with Dr. Snow at 10:00 this morning in Cottage Lake, he is a colleague of mine and has been helping me out on the Fifth Floor for quite some time; However, I am afraid he would not be able to do much for Jonathan-"

"What do you mean?" I interrupted the doctor.

"Dr. Snow is a well trained physician and has some experience treating a variety of heart conditions, but after I reviewed your nephew's information, I believe his heart condition has been misdiagnosed, if it was ever correctly diagnosed in the beginning."

My curiosity was sparked. "How can you tell without even examining him first?"

"I can't tell for certain of course until I run the necessary tests, but from what I read here," he explained, pointing to the form Theresa filled out, "these symptoms point more towards Long QT Syndrome. I'd like your permission to treat him."

"Well, since I'm not his parent, I can't very well give you permission to treat him, now can I?" I surprised myself at the way I was talking to this doctor who seemed to want to help us. "We were not alone coming into the city. My mother and brother were separated from us. I thank God that I was _allowed_ to stay with the boys. I'll give my consent for treatment of Jonathan, but in return I want you to locate my brother and mother," I was preying on his curiosity of Jonathan's case and hoped I had found some leverage in our situation.

"Unfortunately, that is out of my control, but I do think it's highly important that Jonathan be tested so we know exactly what is going on and we can begin to treat it." He moved closer to me so that the children couldn't hear him speak, "If he does indeed have Long QT Syndrome, it's important that we get the diagnosis as soon as possible, if it goes untreated he may die," Dr. Cullen whispered. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

I groaned as he walked out the room. I knew how long doctors could take when they said, "I'll return in a second." How long would a few minutes take? I held Jonathan to my breast. "Are you ok, baby?"

"I'm fine, Auntie Bella," he replied. "Just a little tired. I've got a headache, too. Where's Daddy and Grammy?"

"I wish I could tell you, honey. But we're going to figure out where they are and we'll all be together soon, and then we'll get out of here. Why don't you go over there with Justin? He's got Legos!" I tried to sound excited as I placed my hand on his back to urge him forward.

"Ok," he mumbled.


	2. Chapter 2

NOTE: The names of the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just changed them a bit. This story came from a nightmare I had, so Bella sounds sort of like me. This is my first time writing anything I'm sharing with the world. I've done a bit of research on some things and will continue to do so as/if the need arises. I hope you like it!

Chapter 2: Answers?

I was surprised-Dr. Cullen was true to his word and returned in 10 minutes, this time with Alice. "Ms. Swan, do you remember meeting my daughter, Alice?"

"Yes," I replied. Alice beamed at me then abruptly gave me a hug. She caught me off guard, but I wrapped my arms around her noncommittally and said, "Err… hi, Alice."

"I was hoping you would be able to come with me for a bit to discuss a few things. I think it would be best if Alice would remain here with the boys; maybe you will be able to get some answers to some of your questions."

Even though Alice seemed a bit too friendly for a captor, I sensed no danger to the boys. My assumptions were correct as I saw her bounce over to them on the floor to join in their play. I agreed to accompany Dr. Cullen and kissed the boys on their heads. "I'll be back in a little bit. Alice will keep you company, be good boys and I'll see you soon." I looked to Dr. Cullen and his expression and a nod of his head told me I would not be gone long.

As I walked out of the room and into the brightly lit hallway, I saw several people freely roaming around. Further down the hallway on my right, I passed what looked like a fitness center, complete with weights, a rowing machine, several running machines, and a lap pool. As I passed by the last set of windows I saw a tall, well-built, dark haired man instructing an aerobics class. With a grin, he waved to Dr. Cullen and me as we walked by. We walked another 500 feet and passed a room full of young women and girls sitting at desks, chatting happily amongst themselves. The desks were covered with beautiful fabrics. I noticed there was an empty desk at the front of the room. Dr. Cullen sensed my curiosity, "Alice instructs a couple courses a day in sewing, but she prefers to call it 'fashion design' or something. I'm sure she'd love for you to join her sometime."

I stared blankly at Dr. Cullen. I was hoping all of us were on our way out of here, now he was trying to entice me by talking about sewing machines. My mother sewed a lot when we were kids and since has started making things for the boys, but I never went near it except to play on the floor as a little girl and watch her; fascinated. The sewing machine always seemed so complex and I was never really interested in needles anyway.

A few more feet down the hallway we passed another room, this time with closed double doors, the lights were turned off, and the door was probably locked. Although the interior lights weren't on, light shone in from several windows. I could see it was a richly decorated dining room with elegant red and off white swirled carpet. There were several beautiful tables surrounded with high backed chairs covered with an off white fabric, that went nicely with the carpeting. We continued walking down the hallway and my head immediately went downward as my feet approached plush white carpet. There were reprints of classic paintings and drawings I had seen in my Art History Books at the University of Oregon, one in particular stood out from the rest: _Girl with the Pearl Earring_ by Johannes Vermeer.

"This is one of my favorite paintings," I said aloud, almost to myself.

"Ahh yes, the _Mona Lisa_ of the North," Dr. Cullen mused. "Edward picked out this painting to hang here." I nodded.

We approached dark cherry wood double doors. Dr. Cullen opened the door with his key and stepped inside. "This is my home and office of sorts." I hadn't really asked him but thanked him for telling me where we were. "Follow me." The walls were a stark white as we entered a foyer and walked onto beautiful hard wood floors. "Forgive me if the place looks in disarray. My family and I just moved in permanently, but the rest of the facility has been operational for about a month now." _Facility… _ I wondered.

We approached a grand, winding staircase and ascended to the top. The ceiling was quite high and I could see the rest of the home as we continued up the stairs; it was beautiful. Windows reached up to the ceiling. The kitchen was quite large for a penthouse, a living area was separated by columns arranged diagonally by the windows, and a large flat-screen television was placed at an angle in the corner between the wall and the large windows. We reached the top of the stairs; Dr. Cullen knocked, and then entered a small room with cherry wood paneling. "Edward? She's here."

When I walked in the scent of sandalwood and Paul Mitchell hair products knocked me off my feet. Edward. My eyes were wide as I stared at him and mentally shook my head to come to my senses. I could not recall ever being in the presence of a man who dumbstruck me in such a way. The first thing I noticed was his beautifully chiseled face. Next my eyes went to his lips. He looked nothing like a man who would wear lipstick; however his lips were a natural gorgeous rose color. His eyes were blue, but as he stood up from his chair, the light hit his face and his eyes seemed to green. His hair was a dark reddish brown, I'd never seen anything like it except at the hair salon, that color of hair just wasn't natural, the hair on those women's heads didn't even come close to being as beautiful as Edward's hair. To top it off, his hair was styled into a bouffant. I stared and wondered what it would be like to run my fingers through it. Edward was dressed in khaki pants and a polo shirt, making the outfit look lavish. As he arose from his chair, I could see just how tall he was. He extended his arm and gestured with his hand towards a chair facing the desk and said, "Have a seat." His hands were large and his fingers were long and exquisite. My eyes followed his hands to the chair. I instantly could tell where the scent of sandalwood and Paul Mitchell came from. It was all over him and very strong; I fought off a moan and a swoon. It was apparent Edward was going to be a problem.

His voice sounded like velvet. I immediately sat down, turned my head, and noticed Dr. Cullen stood behind me, his back to a row of book cases. What was I here for? Oh yes… I wanted answers.

"Edward Cullen," he stated plainly.

"Bella," I replied.

"My father says you would like a word with me."

Oh, so it seemed that Edward was the ringleader in this operation. I did my best to shake off the obvious instant attraction to my captor and started firing questions.

"What is this place?" I all but demanded of him.

"It's a commune."

"Commune?! On my way down to see you," I fought off another swoon. _Concentrate!! _ "I passed an exercise facility, a seamstress sweatshop, and a richly decorated dining room," as I recalled these rooms, I wondered what was at the other end of the hallway.

"Yes, a commune."

I could tell that in order to get more than three word replies out of this man I would have to pull it out of him.

"When my nephews and I were brought into the room we were placed in, I looked outside and did not see any people roaming the streets. Other buildings around us look completely vacant. It's Monday; the city should be alive with people going to work, lunch, running errands…..where is everyone?"

"They have either left on their own accord before we took this part of the city, or they are in this building, we took quite a few inside."

"Where are my brother and mother?"

"Give me their names; I may be able to get my sister-in-law to locate them." I told Edward their names but tried not to get my hopes up.

"Rosalie mentioned something about The Fifth Floor…could my mother and brother be there? I would like to talk to them. "

"The fifth floor is where new residents to our commune are brought and are diligently watched for signs of possible escape; they are treated much like POW's until we can be certain they will accept their new way of life. The people aren't abused, but their activity is closely monitored. After they have proven their loyalty, the residents are allowed to move up to The Sixth Floor. Information about The Sixth Floor is completely withheld from residents on The Fifth Floor; they have no clue about how different things are for people up here. It's an important process we must continue to follow to ensure the safety of residents on this floor.

"And if the residents on The Fifth Floor do not acclimate—"

Edward cut me off, "They will remain as residents of The Fifth Floor."

"Why are you holding people against their will? You are so callous and nonchalant about committing false imprisonment, how can you live with yourself? I am disgusted! How do you think you will continue to get away with this?"

"I already have and will continue to do so and without interference from you. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some business to attend to."

I was furious and I could feel my face turn beet red as Edward picked up his walkie-talkie to answer a page.

I stormed out and Dr. Cullen followed me.

"Do you drink coffee? I think I'm ready for another cup." Dr. Cullen tried to break the tension in the air as we walked down the hall to the stairs.

I said absolutely nothing and followed Dr. Cullen downstairs to the kitchen.

"How's your coffee making skills? I always mess it up. My wife or Alice usually does it. I always get coffee grounds in the carafe." Dr. Cullen explained as he dumped the basket of old grounds and put the coffee canister on the counter.

I continued to remain silent as I filled the reservoir with water and put grounds in the basket and made very strong coffee that mimicked Starbucks.

"I know Edward did not provide you with all the answers you were looking for. Is there something in particular that is bothering you?"

"The whole situation bothers me, quite frankly. How long will we be held here against our will? And I still don't know why we're here to begin with."

Dr. Cullen was very easy to talk to, and it was comforting. The kitchen was filled with the wonderful scent of fresh coffee and when I heard the last drops of water exit the reservoir I got up and poured the coffee into the mugs Dr. Cullen sat on the counter.

"A few years ago Edward and I were talking about how out of control this country has gotten, especially the media. I never thought he would take it this far, but he did. My family and I stopped paying attention to the news shortly after 9/11 when every news channel had color coded alerts for the day. We realized that the media was preying on the fear of its viewers. As time went on, more and more people were being persuaded that going to war was a great idea; then our country got involved into two wars. All the news channels were reporting the same things; we got tired of it and started viewing news from other countries instead. Now we don't watch television at all. Edward was most affected by it and wanted to change things. Without my knowledge he began researching guerilla warfare tactics and getting into contact with others who felt the same way."

"How were you able to take control of this area of the city?"

"We have blocked off and taken control of only a small portion of the city. Edward's plan eventually involves relocating everyone on our family's island, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro."

"Who is funding this asinine plan? Does Edward expect everyone to cooperate and go along with your plan?"

"Our family ironically has benefitted from living in a capitalistic society and has stock in countries all over the world. Our money is kept in Swiss banks and my occupation as a physician has allowed us to live very well. There are others who are funding this operation, but we are contributing the most, so therefore we control it. We obtain non perishable food, supplies, and other materials from overseas companies who will work with us. Edward has thought of dissenters and I disagree with his plan; but those that who will not conform will be killed eventually."

"You are his father! How can you allow this atrocity to continue?"

"Edward is a grown man, I realize should this plan go awry, we all will be implicated and the family will suffer greatly. That is why we must move quickly. Going against the United States Government is a very risky business. I am sure they are already aware that we have taken control of this area and we expect any day now to have overhead strikes near us. The borders of the blocked off area are monitored 24 hours a day and Edward is alerted to any suspicious activity. Most likely there are people hiding in buildings around us who afraid to come out; but electricity has been knocked out of this area for some time. We have electricity and water in this building as you can see; we run on generators."

This was the most idealistic plan I ever heard. There was no way that Dr. Cullen and his family would be able to escape. I was certain that the government would be here in a matter of days, not weeks. When we arrived, all of our belongings were taken from us and we were only allowed the clothes on our backs. Cell phones were detected on people who did not give them up when they were told to empty their pockets. It seemed impossible that anyone here would be able to have contact with the outside world. I assumed the cell phones were all destroyed. People had laptop computers with them as well; all these things were confiscated upon arriving in the basement.

"How long have you been here? How many people do you think are being held in this building?"

"I think there are around 200-300 residents right now. I really don't think it would be safe for us to kidnap any more people, but that's up to Edward and Aro. There are probably more people who would go voluntarily, but again, I highly advised Edward and Aro against it.

"My family and I have been living in this particular building for about 2 weeks, but we have held people here for about 3 months, they were mostly voluntary residents and who helped us set things up inside; like the fitness center, textiles room, kitchen, dining area, classroom for children, doctor examination rooms, living quarters for both floors, and a health spa. While we were setting up, life in Seattle went on as usual. It was only within the past 2 weeks that we started blocking off a perimeter and abducting people. Our location right now is ideal for a helicopter to transport my family and me safely to Isle Esme. This area is also easily accessible by boat which will transport residents to a safe place to board an airplane headed for the island."

My brain had heard enough and I was beginning to get a splitting headache that the coffee was hurting it rather than helping. "I'd like for you to do whatever it is in your power to find my brother and mother and bring them to the room where my nephews and I are held."

"I completely understand, I don't know what I would do if I were in your situation. I would be terrified for the safety of my family and would at least want us to be together. I'll contact Rosalie immediately.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen." I simply stated.

"Please, call me Carlisle, I insist."

_Carlisle_ escorted me back to our room. When we arrived, I noticed the boys were missing. I panicked.

"Where are Justin and Jonathan?!" I screamed at Alice.

"Calm down, it's alright! Justin is hanging out with my brother Emmet in the fitness center and Jonathan went with Nurse Rebecca to have some tests run. She's really nice, he'll be fine. They'll be back in a little bit," Alice smiled at me and rubbed my shoulders.

"I'll go down to the hospital wing to check on Jonathan and see how the tests are going," Carlisle assured me.

"My, you look awful!" Alice exclaimed while placing a hand over her mouth. "Have you eaten anything today? My love sent you something to eat, didn't he?"

"Your 'love'?'" I almost laughed at her.

"Yes! You met Jasper earlier, didn't you? He told me he was bringing you guys something to eat," she explained.

"Yeah, he brought us lunch. The boys ate, but I wasn't hungry."

"Argh," she moaned. "Don't be so stubborn! Come with me." I hesitated. "Oh come on they're gonna be fine, besides, we'll probably be back before they even know we're gone!" I agreed and followed Alice down the hall to the kitchen.

"Now… what should we have…..? What do you like to eat, Bella?" Alice seemed to ask rhetorically. "Oh! I know, how about Chicken Fairdale!"

Boy this girl was excited about everything. I smiled at her, "That sounds good."

As she fixed our plates she asked, "So you met Edward, did you?"

"I did," I confessed and felt my face turn red again.

"Ohh you're blushing!" I furrowed my eyebrows at her, "Oh you might as well get used to me, we're gonna be great friends!"

I said nothing and grabbed my plate and Alice pushed open a door which opened into the extravagant dining room. I followed her to the first empty table.

"Oh, you should see this place at dinner time. Esme has the staff put white linens on the table and candles at the tables without young children, it's absolutely gorgeous. My family and I eat in here every other night; on other nights we eat in our penthouse down the hall to have private time away from the rest of the residents. We'll eat in here tonight. I hope you can join us?" She prodded.

"Sure, as long as my mother and brother will be able to eat with us, too." I defended.

"I know this is all so weird and strange for you and everyone else here against their will, but I think most of us will be happy in the end. You'll see."

"Is there no way we can leave? I happen to like my life back in Forks at the moment."

"Oh you're from Forks? We used to have a vacation home there; Carlisle just sold it to a former colleague of his."

I noticed how she avoided answering my question. Maybe it was questions like these that kept 'residents' on The Fifth Floor.

I returned to our room, and just as was promised, both boys were there waiting for me. I hugged and kissed them both.

"Auntie Bella! I had so much fun with Emmett!" Justin exclaimed as Alice and I came in the room. I hadn't even noticed him sitting with Justin on the couch, playing a video game.

"Oh," Emmett laughed, "you don't mind if he plays video games, do you?"

"Uhh no, that's fine," I replied. It was so strange that most of our captors sans Edward and Rosalie seemed so friendly and agreeable. It really was too bad that we didn't meet outside their felonious activities. Maybe we could've all been friends.

"I will review the test results and have some answers for you tomorrow morning," Carlisle interjected, "Emmett, Alice?"

"Oh…. Sure…. Right!!" Emmett got up off the couch. "Hang with ya later, man?" He asked Justin.

"Totally!" he exclaimed and then looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "Maybe.


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE: The names of the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just changed them a bit. This story came from a nightmare I had, so Bella sounds sort of like me. This is my first time writing anything I'm sharing with the world. I've done a bit of research on some things and will continue to do so as/if the need arises. I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 3: Dinner**

The last thing Alice said as she left our penthouse was "I'm going down to Bella's room with Carlisle to wait for the nurse to take the sick boy for testing. It's gonna kill you, I'm sure, but you have to be nice to her……I like her…..a lot!"

"Goodbye, Alice…." I said, maybe a little too harshly, and pushed her out my office door. I loved my little sister, but there were times she really got on my nerves. Like that particular Monday-I was in no mood to be at the butt-end of negotiating capture of new residents… As if I would've let any of them go if they wanted to. They either were going to go along with us or they weren't, and if not, I had ways of handling it. I was still angry that this 'Bella' was able to bypass the mandatory wait on the Fifth Floor and be admitted straight to the Sixth Floor. Avoiding questions like these was what the guards on the Fifth Floor were perfect at, and that's why they made more money than the guards on the Sixth Floor. The guards on the Sixth Floor just sat and drank fucking whiskey in coffee cups because there was nothing for them to do. By the time residents were allowed to stay on the Sixth Floor, they had already accepted their fate and were comfortable with it. The people up on the Sixth Floor earned their freedoms. I had never dealt with new residents on the Fifth Floor, and certainly wasn't feeling like dealing with one that day.

Fuck. I heard Carlisle talking low to someone as he approached my office door. He knocked but didn't wait for me to tell him to come in. If it had been anyone else besides family, I probably would've shot them at first sight. Everyone knew not to open my office door unless I'd given explicit permission to do so. Shit, even Aro knows that, and we'd been friends for years.

Carlisle came into my office and Bella followed behind him. I couldn't believe my eyes. All my irritableness about having to meet with her started to fly out the window, but I had a reputation to uphold. She had beautiful long hair that went just past her shoulders with a bit of a natural curl to it. I was captivated by her dark brown eyes. They were mesmerizing; in them I could see a bit of fear and something else that I couldn't put my finger on.

I quickly averted my eyes from hers and absentmindedly introduced myself.

"Edward Cullen."

"Bella," she almost spat at me and it helped me put my game face back on. After we were so 'formally' introduced, she started firing questions. I couldn't believe it. Who did she think she was? This girl seemed to have a lot of guts.

I told her that this building was a commune and ended up giving her way too much information than I probably should of. I silently cursed Carlisle for tricking me into talking to her. I knew she was going to be my downfall.

Right on cue, Aro paged me on my walkie-talkie as I instructed him to do so, cutting my conversation with Bella short. I excused myself, turned my back on her, and answered the page. I could feel the ire in the room as I heard her shoot up from her chair and storm out of the room.

"Thanks, Aro." I murmured. Aro is the CEO of Unlimited International Airlines. Without him, we wouldn't have been able to get a 747 to fly the residents to the island.

"I'll see you at dinner?"

"Yeah, I'll be there."

I went to my room to shower and dress for dinner. It wasn't required of the residents to be fancy for dinner, but Alice thought since I was trying to establish a sense of authority, our family should be semi-formal. For that night, I chose a simple black suit and thin black tie. While straightening my tie, I received a page from Marcus Swan.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Rosalie told me that my sister was asking about my mom and me."

"Yeah, she just left here about forty-five minutes ago," I responded.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

"Yeah, I pretty much made an exception for you. If it were anyone else, I would've put them in solitary for at least a day or so," I laughed. "How are things going down there? Any of the new residents giving the guards any trouble in Ward A?"

"All's quiet down here so far. I expect it will be about another week before the residents in Ward B will be ready to come up to you guys."

"That's fantastic, Marcus."

"How's your mother? Has her condition improved since this morning?"

"I've asked the guard who is watching over her and the new women; she's on the brink of a panic attack. I'm going to have to beg you to allow her to come up to the Sixth Floor so Carlisle can work his magic on her. He's obviously the best doctor here. Isn't there a single empty room up there? We could continue to isolate her; that would be better for her anyway."

"I don't know…. Jesus, Marcus! Are you trying to put this whole operation in danger? I can't have both your mother and sister poking and prodding around. You're seriously trying to fuck us up, aren't you?"

"Aww, come on man, you know me better than that!"

"Fuck. Yeah, have that guard send her up. We're about to go to dinner up here, make it fast, will you? I'll see if I can get Carlisle to take a look at her before we go."

"Thanks, man. I owe you big time."

"You bet your ass you do. I'll talk to you later."

I decided I would wait until I could meet with both him and Aro to tell them we only have about a month left before we need to head to the island.

I met Marcus last year. He's been working with Aro and me arranging transportation to Isle Esme. From his occupation as a DJ to a couple Hip Hop Artists, he was able to come up with a helicopter that would transport my family to the island in an emergency. He said he wasn't leaving Washington without his mother, sister, and sons. When he told me the date of his son's doctor appointment in Cottage Lake, we set up our last mass abduction op, took prisoners until Marcus' family arrived, and after they were taken from their car, we efficiently blocked that expressway at the overpass.

After I showered and dressed for dinner, I went downstairs to the bar to fix myself a gin and tonic but found Esme and Carlisle in the living room.

"Hello, Darling." my mother for all intensive purposes called to me as my feet hit the hardwood floor at the bottom of the stairs. I smiled at her. Carlisle and Esme adopted me when I was born. I knew my birth mother was a young woman, not quite twenty when she had me. I never gave much thought to ever finding her. Carlisle and Esme never hid the fact that I was adopted and when I was a kid they answered any questions I may have had. I figured my birth mother didn't want me so why should I give a shit about her. Giving me up for adoption to Carlisle and Esme was probably the best thing that woman ever did. Esme always chided me for talking about her like I did, "You don't know what was going through her mind when she gave you up. I'm just grateful that she did. You've always been mine, and you always will, Edward Anthony Cullen."

Carlisle was really good about hearing me out about hare-brained ideas I had as a teenager, but it still took me by surprise that he agreed to back me up in the end on this particular plan to try to save a piece of America. He asked me questions about how I would make it a reality, mulled it over in his head for a few days, and agreed. He said he would at least be able to use his skills as a physician on the island; we would definitely need one of those. In all, there are about 10 doctors who will be joining us on the island, all from Carlisle's networking.

"Carlisle, can I have a word with you, please?" It was so strange, after my brother, sister, and I reached a certain age, we all stopped calling our parents mom and dad, even though we knew no other parents. "It seems as though Bella's mother is having a panic attack of some sort. I've had Marcus get a guard to take her up to Room 600. Do you think you could take a look at her before dinner?"

"I'll head right down." Carlisle responded. He went to his office to gather his medical bag and went out the door.

"Poor Bella!" Esme exclaimed. "Edward, I hope you intend to tell her what her brother's been up to and let her see her mother! I'm getting tired of this whole thing… the sooner we get out of Seattle and to the island the better I'll feel." My eyes widened, I didn't recall her ever being so angry with me. "You've always tried to appear offstandish, but I don't like this man I've been looking at for the past six months," she blurted out and stormed off to her room.

Carlisle returned from assessing and treating Bella and Marcus' mother after twenty minutes.

"How is Bella's mother?" I met him at the front door and inquired as he sat his medical bag down on the end table next to the coat rack.

"Renee' should be fine. I gave her Diazepam," Carlisle responded, "ready to go?"

As was customary, Carlisle, Esme, and I waited until 6:30 to go to dinner; the rest of them were already seated at our table. All the residents on the Sixth Floor were already sitting at their tables. Everyone stood and applauded as we entered the dining room. I kept up my appearance and did not look at anyone as we approached our table. Rose and Emmett sat two seats down from the head of the table as usual on the left side to allow Carlisle and Esme to take their places. Next to Emmett sat Aro. To my surprise, instead of Alice at the first seat on the right, Bella was sitting there. For some reason unbeknownst to me, my heart started to race and I felt very nervous. _Why is Bella sitting here?_ _Damn it, Alice!_ I thought. In between Bella and Alice sat two boys.

I reached the head of the table and sat down. The rest of the room followed my lead, resumed chatting and sipping water. "Hello, Bella." I spoke to Bella, while glaring at Alice. I would definitely have a word with her later. "Who are these young men with you?" I asked.

"Justin and Jonathan," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, boys," I smiled at them.

"Hello Mr. Cullen," the boys said in unison.

"How are you feeling, Jonathan?" Carlisle asked

"Very well, sir."

"I hope you like seafood, boys. How's fish and chips sound?" Esme posed.

"Yes!" Justin exclaimed, "That's my favorite!"

The wait staff brought around fish and chips for the children in the room; tomato and crab tarts with rice for the adults. The medical staff had already surveyed residents as they entered the Fifth Floor for food allergies and the like, those with special diets were served meals according to their requirements.

As the wait staff brought our entrees I felt Esme's eyes burning into me.

"Bella, I would like to inform you that we have located your mother, you may go to her after dinner."

"I would rather go now, Mr. Cullen," she hissed.

"I am afraid that would not be possible. I request that you and your nephews please remain with us, eat your dinner, and I will escort you to her room myself." I stated and began to eat.

Bella was silent, picking at her food while her nephews dove into their plates.

After we finished our main course, the wait staff brought around chocolate ice cream for the children and added Amaretto pears to the chocolate ice cream for the adults.

"Bella, I see you found some clothes in the closet," Alice spoke, breaking the silence. Bella was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. "I can't believe after all the things we put in that closet you decided to wear that! You _must _let me help you get dressed for dinner on Wednesday!" Alice barely whispered to her.

Bella smiled at Alice and laughed. It was the first time I heard her laugh and it stirred something inside me; she made me chuckle as I cut a pear in half. Her eyes caught mine as I brought the pear to my mouth and she blushed.

"Rose and I had a blast picking out clothes online for men, women, and children for all the rooms, complete with underwear in the dressers. Most of the baby clothes were made by me and the girls in the Fashion Design Room," Alice beamed.

"Edward, I finalized arrangements for a 747 to be ready and at the airport in Port Angeles for all the residents to board on your command. I'm still working on details for a passenger boat to take them to Port Angeles," Aro said as everyone got up from their tables ready to leave the dining room.

"Bella, walk with me," I spoke as she got up from her seat. "Alice, Esme, would you mind taking the boys to their room?"

"Certainly," Esme agreed.

"How's about a nice hot bath, Jonathan?" Alice asked Jonathan, took him by the hand.

"I promise I won't keep your aunt very long." I assured the boys, and the four of them exited the dining room.

I turned to Aro, "Tell me more about this passenger boat," I questioned him as Bella, Aro, Carlisle, Rose, Jasper, Emmett, and I walked towards the exit.

"We will only need one boat for the amount of people we are transporting. There are passenger boats that leave for Vancouver several times a day. It's not final yet, but I am certain I will be able to pull some strings, call in a few favors, and get one to dock nearby to take us to Port Angeles. After we reach Port Angeles, I can arrange for a couple of my charter busses to meet us in a safe place to shuttle us to the Airport. Should anyone spot our buses, we'll look like a bunch of tourists. Did Alice and Rose stock the rooms with suitcases? It would be a waste to leave all the clothes here. Besides, residents carrying suitcases would fit the charade well.

"Yes, there are enough suitcases in all the rooms on our floor to cover the Fifth Floor as well, Rose interjected.

"Excellent work, Marcus, Rose." I ran a hand through my hair. "Bella, shall we?" I outstretched my arm and pointed it in the direction towards Room 600.

* * *

I was nervous all through dinner, I really wasn't hungry. It was a combination of being in Edward's presence and worrying about my brother and Renee'. I was talking to Justin when out of the corner of my eye I saw Esme glare at Edward. I almost choked on my water when Edward turned to me and said, "Bella, I would like to inform you that we have located your mother, you may go to her after dinner." I was dumbstruck, but managed to tell him I wanted to go to her rather than stay and eat dinner. He told me he would take me to her afterwards. I couldn't figure out why we couldn't just go now. I was in no mood to eat. I couldn't believe the things I was hearing about 747's, passenger boats, luggage, and tourist busses. These people really were serious about taking all the 'residents' to this island! After the desert plates were cleared, most of the 'residents' left the room. I stood and Edward told me to stay while Esme and Alice escorted the boys back to our room. I tried not to appear as though I was eavesdropping on Aro and Edward's conversation about a passenger boat. I had to find a way to escape with my family. As we exited the dining room, Edward insisted I go ahead of him. _Such the gentleman_, I thought as I rolled my eyes, grateful he couldn't see me. He outstretched his arm as if to point in the direction we were to go down the hall, and my heart skipped a beat as the smell of sandalwood wafted towards me. As we started walking, I asked, "So, we're all to leave Seattle in a manner of weeks. When you get all of these people to this island, where are they going to live?"

"My family and I have owned the island for quite some time. There are construction crews on the island putting the finishing touches on basic bungalow-style housing as we speak. You need not be concerned, I have thought of everything. Among those that are voluntary residents you will find teachers, doctors, lawyers, farmers, college professors, chefs, bakers, and the like. You and the other residents will be very well looked after and cared for."

"You talk about it like we are cattle in a fucking field!"

"Yes, in some ways you are," Edward surprised me with his condescension, "You would be surprised at who else thinks of you that way."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just follow me."

"I don't think I want to go anywhere with you!" I lied. It was killing me that I was attracted to him and despised him at the same time. So like an idiot, I followed him down the hall. What was the matter with me?

"I wish I could convince you that this is going to work out and that you'll be happy. Maybe that's not my job," his voice sounded far away; he was talking to me but somehow it seemed as if he wasn't.

We reached the end of the hallway, next to an emergency stairwell. "This is it," he mumbled. He knocked on the door and went inside the dark room.

"Ms. Higgenbotham?" Edward inquired.

"Mom!" I almost screamed at her. "How are you? You don't look so well," I turned to Edward, "Can you get your dad to look at her?"

"I'm ok, baby," Renee said. "Dr. Cullen came in to see me and gave me a little something to help the anxiety."

"I'm Edward Cullen, Miss Higgenbotham," Edward interrupted. "I am pleased to meet you and I am glad you're feeling better."

"Are you related to Dr. Cullen?" My mother asked Edward.

Not giving him the chance to speak to Renee' again, I answered for him, "Dr. Cullen is Edward's father." Edward flashed a smile at her. What was with this guy? One minute he sounds like a complete asshole and the next minute he's trying to charm the pants off everyone. I was finding him increasingly difficult to figure out.

"Mom, have you seen Marcus?"

"Not since this morning," she said then she looked at Edward, "Where is he? Where are my grandsons?"

"Marcus is on the Fifth Floor. I'll see if I can locate him for you," Edward smiled at her, excused himself, and went outside the room, closing the door behind him.

"What's going on here, Bella?" my mother asked.

"I barely know myself," I replied then told her what I heard from Dr. Cullen about Edward's ideas about wanting to start a new country of sorts on his family's island.

"This is anti-American establishment, mainly because of the news media and the current ruling political party. He is convinced that he can take all of us imprisoned here to his family's island and we can all live in Utopia there. I am trying to think of a way for us to escape this madness."

That day had become a constant see-saw. I was battling some kind of morbid attraction to my captor but at the same time I wanted to find a way to escape and return us to our serene but boring life back in Forks.

"The floor we are on now is reserved for people who have come to terms with their captivity and people who came voluntarily, without being abducted." I explained to Renee'.

"Hmmm…. Edward's attitude about the state of America today reminds me of your brother's rants," she mused.

"Maybe, but I don't think Marcus would go this far, do you?"

"You must remember how he lived right after high school. You don't think he compromised his ideals, do you? I'm not saying he would abduct people and take them to a secluded island; he doesn't have the resources to do such a thing. However, I am saying he probably could identify with it."

I cringed at remembering how my brother behaved during that time. He lived in cars, went to gatherings where people would spend weeks out in the woods. I remember once when he came to visit my mother, he shaved his head because the people at the encampment caught head lice from sleeping on the ground. Once he stole from an ATM Machine-he put his card in and took out much more than was actually in his account, and to top it all off, he was able to swindle money out of our dad and grandmother; I was so angry at them for enabling him. It killed me, I never asked them for money, yet they were shelling out hundreds of dollars here and there like it was growing on trees.

I changed the subject, "Mom, would you like to see the boys? They're staying with me down the hall. I'll go get them." I told her then exited the door.

I heard Edward speaking to someone on his walkie-talkie, "Look, you are gonna have to explain it sometime-Shit, I gotta go."

"Excuse me," I said, "My mother would very much like to see her grandsons."

"Oh! Yeah, of course…. That's fine. I trust you can find your way back down here. Do not go anywhere else besides to your room and back… Do you understand? I will know if you go anywhere else," he said as he pointed to the security cameras over our heads along the ceiling.

"Good night, Bella."

I nodded my head and walked back down to my room to get the boys. I found them reading books with Esme and Alice. I thanked them both and took Justin and Jonathan to see my mother.


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE: The Twilight Saga and the names of the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just modified their behaviors – some more than others :P**

**This long awaited chapter is dedicated to my lovelies who continue to encourage me to write: angela4148 my beautiful beta, dreamsofedward barburella (she holds the ruler) writing4roses shortcake0779 laury4rob and bellasexeqtner Thank you bbs! Big sloppy kisses to you all!! MWAH! **

**Chapter 4 Tuesday**

Renee was so excited to see the boys. We stayed and visited for a little while before Alice came down to see about us.

"Are you feeling better, Ms. Higgenbotham? I'm Alice. It's nice to meet you!"

"I'm doing much better, thank you, but still a bit uneasy about what is going on here."

"I'm sorry Ms. Higgenbotham. I wish I could tell you more, I really do, but it's not my place," Alice explained solemnly. "I talked to Carlisle. He said if you were up to it, you could go and stay down in Bella's room with the boys."

"Thank you, but I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind." Renee replied. I knew my mother all too well. I imagined that this floor looked more like a hotel to her, but to me it was still a prison.

Alice walked us down the hall to our room. "I'm sorry, although you are pretty much free to do what you want on this floor; Edward wants everyone in their rooms at the latest by 9:00. It really is for everyone's safety."

I said nothing as we walked down the hall.

"Goodnight, Bella, Jonathan and Justin," Alice smiled at us.

Once inside, I had the boys take showers and dress for bed in pajamas I found in the dresser. Once they were in their beds and snoring lightly, I walked over to the bookcase and found the complete works of Jane Austen and _Jane Eyre._ I was surprised to see several erotic romantic novels and memoirs from the 18th Century; _Fanny Hill _by Edmund Curll, and _The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova_, among them right next to the Austen novels. _Jane Austen must be rolling in her grave, _I thought to myself but curiously picked up Casanova's book anyway. I read all of Chapter One before falling asleep.

* * *

I woke Tuesday morning around seven o'clock to the sound of the boys' laughter and cheering while they played a video game.

"Good morning, Auntie Bella," Jonathan smiled at me.

"Good morning, baby. How are you feeling today?"

"Fine! I just beat Justin at Tekken 6!"

"Isn't it a bit early for a fighting game?" I yawned.

"No way, Auntie Bella!" Justin exclaimed, "Emmet showed us some really cool moves for the best characters!" Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Hey guys! I hope you're hungry. You like waffles, don't you?" Alice bounced into the room as I opened the door. "Come on! Your grandma's waiting for us in the dining room."

As we finished eating, Dr. Cullen and Emmet found us at a table by the windows. Renee smiled and waved as they approached our table. "Good morning, Ms. Higgenbotham, Bella. If you will come with me, I'll go over Justin's test results," Dr. Cullen patted me on the shoulder.

"Come on dudes, let's go to the fitness center and I'll show you some of the cool machines we got…Rosalie's in there right now on a treadmill listening to her iPod. Let's see if we can scare her!" Emmet seemed way too excited about startling his girlfriend and both boys' eyes lit up as they looked back and forth between each other and Emmett; all three of them ran out the door.

"Follow me," Dr. Cullen laughed.

I was surprised as Dr. Cullen led us to the family's penthouse. I assumed he would've had an office separate from his home.

"Please excuse the informality of this visit. I have yet to acquire a second office on this floor, so I hope you won't mind discussing Justin's test results here in my living room," He gestured as we entered the foyer.

"Yesterday I performed an ECG and an EEG on a treadmill in my examination room to look for patterns in his heart rhythm as well as brain activity to pinpoint any possible underlying neurological cause for the fainting spells and seizures Justin has been experiencing. I also performed a genetic test on Jonathan's blood and found a mutation in one of his genes that suggest Long QT Syndrome. I am required to recommend that you seek a second opinion. If you would like, I can arrange for a colleague to perform his own testing.

"Is there anything that can be done for him? Is this life threatening?" My mother prodded with a great look of concern on her face.

"Since Justin has never had a near death experience with Long QT Syndrome, I would say it's highly unlikely that the condition is fatal for him. Rather than starting him on beta blockers, I would much rather try potassium supplements first." Dr. Cullen handed a bottle to me. "Give this to him with food in the morning and after dinner. If his symptoms continue or worsen we will begin beta-blockers."

As Dr. Cullen finished explaining his treatment plan, Edward came out of nowhere and faced my mother. "I found your son, Ms. Higgenbotham. I will contact him and relay my father's diagnosis." Edward disappeared up the stairwell, leaving no one to ask any questions of him.

I found it very interesting that Edward would find my brother and tell him. Didn't he have people he could trust to get the message to Marcus? He was talking to Renee but at every other word he spoke, his eyes found mine and he cracked a smile at me as he left.

"Excuse me," I turned to Renee' and Carlisle, then proceeded to ascend the stairs. I could feel my mother's eyes burning in the back of my head as I went.

I heard Edward on the walkie-talkie, so I waited to rush into his office. I have always been a quietly nosy person and was very proud of my abilities. Sometimes it got me into trouble finding out more than I wanted to know, other times it was beneficial.

"I know! I've already discussed it with Aro this morning. The boats are ready when we are. "

"Are you sure you'd be willing to go on the boat rather than a helicopter?" a voice from the other end inquired.

"What choice do we have? It won't be long before the National Guard breaks through our barrier. We have got to get the fuck out of here before we're all dead. You remember Waco, don't you?"

I heard enough and made my presence known.

"You know where my brother is? Take me to him now. His son is sick, his mother had a panic attack, and I'm just ready to get the hell out of here!" I stormed inside Edward's office, my face beet red with anger.

"I think I've had enough of this shit," Edward sighed, "Are you used to getting your way all the fucking time? Do you have to be in control of every situation?" He asked rhetorically, but I responded anyway.

"As a matter of fact yes I am used to getting my own way because I make it so. Someone has to be in control! As you can see, my mother requires about as much attention as a child and my brother can be so irresponsible, who is there left to be a parental figure in my family?" I was fuming and stood within an inch of him my chest heaving.

"Maybe you don't know everything you think you know." Edward breathed, surprised me by grabbing me by the arm, pulling me down the stairs and out the front door of the penthouse. Again, I could feel my mother's eyes and could see them widening as Edward stole me away.

Edward said nothing to me as we walked down to the other end of the hall. I looked in the fitness center and saw Justin, Jonathan, and Emmett playing with a rowing machine. As we passed Alice's fashion design classroom, she was assisting a girl who looked to be about fifteen years old, the girl smiled and waved at us. I rolled my eyes at Alice who put a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. We stopped at the doorway as Edward sighed and spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Tell Marcus to meet us in the stairway. I really don't think she should come down there."

I gasped. For once my exuberance seemed to be getting me somewhere.

* * *

In the living room I saw Bella and her mother listening intently to what my father had to say. I knew Bella had no reason to worry, as long as Carlisle was treating her nephew, everything would be fine. After we got to Isle Esme we knew we would have to make trips to Rio de Janeiro when necessary for things like medical supplies and drugs… things we couldn't grow, make, or catch ourselves. I decided to wait on the stairs for Carlisle to finish explaining Jonathan's diagnosis before telling Bella and her mother I 'found' Marcus. I abruptly turned to leave the room once I heard Chris, one of my guards on the Fifth Floor, paging me through the walkie-talkie.

"Yes, Chris?"

"The men at the western block are reporting black hawks flying over head. They took cover. They weren't sure if they were seen. Dude, we've got to get this show on the road. It won't be long before there's a conflict—"

"I know!" I screamed at him, "I've already discussed it with Aro this morning. The boats are ready when we are. "

"Are you sure you'd be willing to go on the boat rather than a helicopter?" Chris was starting to irritate me, "What choice do we have? It won't be long before the National Guard breaks through our barrier. We have got to get the fuck out of here before we're all dead. You remember Waco, don't you?" Just then, my office door flew open. I was surprised but pleased to see Bella until she came in huffing and puffing about wanting to know where Marcus was and going on about Jonathan, who would be fine, by the way, her mother, and wanting to get the fuck out of here. I couldn't think straight because she caught me by surprise standing within inches of me, her chest heaving and her breasts almost touching my stomach and ribs… up and down, up and down…

"I've had enough of this shit," I spat out, mulling over the double meaning. If she had gotten any closer she could feel my hard cock that welcomed the closeness between us. It really had been too long. "Are you used to getting your way all the fucking time? Do you have to be in control of every situation?" I grilled her, not expecting any response.

I hoped she was feeling the electricity bouncing off both of us. She surprised me, I could hear the ire in her voice but I couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. Her face was red with anger and for some reason that got me even more aroused.

"Maybe you don't know everything you think you know," I took her by the arm and led her out of the penthouse to the stairwell to the Fifth Floor.

Once I entered the code into the keypad by the door, I radioed Chris to tell him to have Marcus meet us at the top of the steps and we went inside to wait for him. I stared into Bella's eyes again as we waited for him. She was so difficult to read. I wasn't able to get through to her. Maybe her brother could set her straight. I knew she thought I was a heartless bastard. However, I knew there was something between us and if she gave it a chance she would feel it too.

"Marcus!" Bella exclaimed as her brother came up the stairs to meet us, "Are you hurt?" She held him to her then examined his face and visible parts of his body for any signs of injury. Damn, she really did think of herself as the mother of the family. So much responsibility shouldn't be on her shoulders. I was irritated at Marcus for sitting back and leaving her to mother his children and keeping her in the dark about this whole situation. If he wanted his family to come with us to the island why did he have to do it this way? It's one thing to abduct strangers to help populate the island but abducting your own family is ludicrous. He should've given his family the respect they deserved and told them about Isle Esme and not made them feel like prisoners.

"Let's take this someplace more private," I suggested. Residents were coming out of their rooms and leered in our direction as we walked out of the stairwell. I led them to Bella's room.

"Marcus, enough of this shit. It's fucked up man. You tell her everything. Now!"

"What's he talking about, Marcus?"

"Bella, I know you're upset, and I'm sorry," was Marcus' attempt at an apology. "I've been in contact with Edward for a while now. I think you've been filled in on what's going on here and why you're here. I'm sorry it wasn't me who told you about it."

"Told me about what?" Bella asked, her eyes widening.

"Edward and Aro's plan to leave the states and go to Isle Esme. This is something I've always fantasized about, living in a commune away from government interference and a capitalistic society. I couldn't go alone and didn't feel right taking the boys so far away from mom and you. Besides Justin and Jonathan, you and mom are all I have left."

"So you abducted all of us? Why didn't you have the respect to tell us what was going on? I knew something was up with you when you were going on DJ'ing jobs and only taking half your equipment. I didn't know what, but it didn't feel right. I didn't question you because I knew you were still upset about Jessica's death and I was glad to hear you were working again. You know you could've killed both Jonathan and mom putting them both through so much unnecessary danger?"

"I know, I'm sorry, Bella," Marcus continued to apologize. I couldn't tell if Bella was loosening up or not.

"Bella, we really would like you, your mother, and the boys to agree to join us voluntarily. I know you understand that we plan to execute those who refuse to go for the safety of everyone, but I'd be willing to let you and your mother go if that's what you want." I couldn't believe my own ears, but I also had a hard fucking time with Marcus not giving his family the opportunity to say yes or no to joining us. I was glad at that moment I had family who stuck together and trusted one another, even when I decided to drag them into federal offenses. I waited for a response from Bella, which I did not receive.

"I'll be right back. This calls for some hard ass liquor," I announced as I exited Bella's room, then went to the kitchen's locked closet to get ingredients for Tanqueray Hong Kong Smogs. _Maybe if I get her shitfaced she'll relax…_ I thought to myself as I mixed the drinks. I took a trolley cart with the drinks, Tanqueray, Midori, and extra ice, back to the room.

This is what I walked in on:

"Marcus! How could you! I have been worried sick about you, wondering what happened to you… You're the reason why we're even here! Why would you put your family in danger? No one would tell me what happened to you ..." she began to cry, then stood up and pounded her fists into Marcus' chest.

Once her sobbing subsided and she sat down next to her brother, I handed one to both of them, "Here, Alice insists upon these."

"Thank you," Bella sniffed. I gave her my crooked smile and watched her blush afterwards.

"Bella, I really didn't think you'd be so pissed! I remember you going on about how shitty things have gotten here in the past few years and that you wish you could move to Europe to get away from it," I watched Bella's face to gauge her reaction to his reasoning.

"Yeah, but you didn't even give us the opportunity to say whether me or mom would go with you or not, you _kidnapped_ us!" Bella furrowed her eyebrows at Marcus and was clearly fuming again, "How long will you continue to be irresponsible? It's not enough that you are always dumping your boys on me and mom! It's not fair to us and it's certainly not helping your boys! Do you realize from the stress you could've killed Jonathan?"

"Aw, come on Bells! Jonathan's alright! He's having fun right now with Emmett and Justin. They get along great!"

"That's not the point and you know it! You should've at least had the decency to let us say yes or no," Bella spat at Marcus.

"Marcus, I think you better go now," I suggested.

"Yeah, ok man. Good night, Bella, sleep well," he kissed her on her head.

"I'll be right back," I got up and walked Marcus to the stairwell. "I told you before you should've let them in on it. Have a little respect for the intelligence of your mother and sister," I knew I was being condescending.

"I thought it would've been better this way. At least now Bella knows, she'll tell Renee. They'll be fine. "

"What are you going to tell your boys? They're under the impression that they are here against their will."

"I'll think of something. Do you think you can calm Bella down? Use your charms on her? I've seen the way women look at you, like they used to look at me before you started showing your face around here."

"I'll try," I muttered. Calming Bella down was something I would enjoy doing, in more ways than one. What the fuck was the matter with me? I had known about Bella for six months but really only met her the day before and there I was fantasizing about her. I needed to get a grip…. And fast.

**A/N: Edward insisted that I give the recipe for Hong Kong Smogs… Never had it before but FUCK it sounds good!! **

**Hong Kong Smog **

**2 1/4 oz Tanqueray® gin  
3/4 oz Midori® melon liqueur**

**  
Pour Tanqueray gin and Midori melon liqueur into a shaker half-filled with ice. Stir or shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a melon ball, and serve.**

**38% (76 proof)**

**Serve in: Cocktail Glass**

**Via http****.com/cat/2049/**


	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE: The Twilight Saga and the names of the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just modified their behaviors – some more than others :P**

**Chapter 5: "…Come With Me…"**

My eyes followed Edward as he escorted my brother to the door. He shut it and gave me a crooked smile as he closed it behind him. _What was that about?_ I wondered to myself and blushed. He really was sending me mixed signals. I couldn't tell if he was coming or going. He sat down in the chair kiddie corner to the loveseat on the side I was sitting.

"I'm sorry he didn't tell you about me… I mean my plan," Edward started. "I remember it was me, Aro, and Marcus sitting around bullshitting about how we could do something about the government. We knew we didn't want to be ass kissing lobbyists or whoremonger politicians, eventually we would become just like them. We all agreed that we would have to make our own 'country' to do anything about it. It started to get real when Aro was talking about ways to get people to populate the island outside of our friends and families. I had architect friends design villas and buildings appropriate for our climate on the island with maximum cooling efficiency for the extreme temperatures during the day. Once my family agreed to join us, Esme began to get excited about decorating the houses and even researched what produce would be suitable for farming on the island."

"All of this sounds very romantic and idealistic. The fact of the matter is that you have kidnapped up to 300 people and are forcing them to leave everything they have here and go to a remote island where they will probably never see their families again," I retorted.

"I don't want to talk about this with you right now," Edward breathed.

"What do you want to talk about?" I was bewildered.

"You."

I blushed then kicked myself for doing so, "What do you want to know?"

"You seem to carry the weight of your family on your shoulders. Your nephews may not have a mother, but they have a father. Why can't you step away and let him parent his kids? Have you done anything for yourself at all since you got back from college?"

"To be honest, my brother doesn't have any idea about the basic rules of parenting. He was always away doing gigs, and Jessica was left home to raise the boys. Her death was a big blow to the boys because they didn't really know their father. Jessica was everything to them. I didn't plan to live with my mother, brother, and nephews forever, but at the time I graduated they needed me. What else was I supposed to do? They're the only family I have, I am sure you can understand that, Edward."

"You have a BA in Art History. I know that because Marcus told me," Edward mused. "If you decide to come with us, I could set you up with a building to house an Art Museum on the island, of which you would be Curator. We have voluntary residents who are teachers, but I would also like to have someone teach art classes. I haven't found anyone for that position yet."

"Again with the idealistic and romantic ideas. And I am not an artist," I took a sip of my drink and shook my head at him, "People have kind of gotten used to getting paid for working. How do you expect to pay everyone?"

"There will be no need for them to get paid. They are living free on the island, we will have a community farm, residents are being taught to make clothes thanks to Alice, and anything we can't make or grow ourselves will be bought using our stock income from Petrobas, Telemar, and Ambev. Aro wanted this life so badly, he will continue to own and operate his airline from the island. He has given some information to the executive board about relocating to an island, didn't tell them where, but he plans to go back and forth when needed to handle his business after we are all settled.

I was surprised how he seemed to be opening up to me. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I want you to trust me. I want you to agree to come with us…. I want you to come with me." Edward moved and sat next to me on the loveseat, grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes.

I blushed again and felt something in my chest. The alcohol must've been getting to me. I couldn't move as he nuzzled his face into my hair. I heard him inhale deeply. This was moving too fast. I was beginning to succumb to whatever it was he was doing to me. My eyes rolled up into the back of my head.

"Think about that," he said, then stood up. "Your mother and nephews must be wondering what happened to you," he grinned and chuckled at me. "I'll leave this here," He gestured to the Tanqueray and Midori on the cart. "I'd like to have some more of that later," he said and put the bottles on top of one of the bookcases in my room. "Come with me," he took my hand as we exited the room.

After spending so much time in my room with Edward, we met up with our families in the Cullen's penthouse and had lunch. I listened as Esme and Rosalie discussed the villas on the island.

"Each villa has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, and small kitchens with mini-fridges. We don't want to encourage the residents to hoard food, so full kitchens will be limited to Edward's house, the main Cullen House and Dining Hall," Esme explained, "Laundry facilities will also be limited to outside, elevated, open air structures, the main Cullen House, and Edward's house.

"Why should only Edward's house have a full kitchen and Laundry?" Rosalie complained and Edward snickered.

"Because this is my operation. When you decide to take on populating an island you can design it any fucking way you want," Edward interjected, "Feel free to buy your own full kitchen, washer and dryer."

Rosalie huffed and jolted up from the table.

"That went rather well," Carlisle chuckled, "Edward, go easy on her. She is sacrificing a lot for you."

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. My mother went to her room, the boys and I went back to ours, and my brother returned to the Fifth Floor to his post. That night I picked up Casanova's book, got in the bed, and tried to read but I couldn't focus. My mind was consumed by Edward. I wondered what he was doing. It was tempting to go down the hall to the penthouse to go see him. I was angry at myself for even entertaining that thought. Why would he want to see me? I thought about some of the things he said to me throughout the day. _…I want you to come with me. _He was so attentive to me that afternoon. He genuinely seemed concerned about my nephew, my feelings and comfort, and also seemed to take my side in my anger against Marcus.

Marcus... I just couldn't understand how he could do this to us! I began to realize even though I had been held against my will, my own brother was responsible! Edward told me he would allow us to return to our lives if we wanted to. I wasn't sure I was ready to part from Edward. What was I thinking? Could I be held as an accomplice if this whole thing went badly? I was certain my brother would be implicated. I mulled everything over in my brain and came to the revelation if we were all going to Isle Esme, we should get the hell out of here soon before anyone gets caught, hurt, or killed.

* * *

I was so fucking confused! I kept having Freudian slips when I was talking to Bella that afternoon. That night I shut myself in my office and all I could think about was Bella. She must feel it too. What was I thinking? As if I haven't created enough work for myself, I was adding a woman to complicate things further. I imagined Bella sitting on top of my desk, the city lights a couple blocks away shining in the dark. I could see myself stroking her face as I ran my tongue over her luscious lips and then gently tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth. _Oh boy..._ I unzipped my chinos and pulled out my now throbbing cock and twisted and pulled on the head and began to feverishly pump my dick. It didn't take long for me to come. I thought about ripping Bella's blouse off her and taking each nipple into my mouth while rubbing her hot wet slit. _Ohhh fuuuuucccck! _ I knew she would feel so good. I wondered if she would moan for me and say my name. She said "Edward" earlier and that made my cock twitch and stir in my pants. I wondered if she noticed. That did it. I made a mess that squirted across the top of my desk and on to the floor. I quickly cleaned it up then went to my bathroom to take a cold fucking shower.

I didn't wait for the sun to come up. I wasn't sleeping anyway. Around 5 a.m. I figured that I had gone long enough without seeing her. I put on some baggy jeans to hide my now rock hard dick, crept out of the penthouse and down to Bella's room. I opened her door quietly. I could see the boys sleeping in their beds across from hers and I hoped I didn't wake them. What a fucking pervert I was! I stood by the door watching Bella sleep with her nephews in the same room. I wondered if she would want her own room. I should have Marcus come up here and stay with the boys. He could keep a radio with him and Chris would call him if he was needed downstairs. Bella definitely needed her own room, especially if I would give a repeat performance of stalking. I stood there and watched her stir in her sleep. One leg was out from under the covers and I could see she wore a long night shirt that rode up over her hips, revealing black cotton shorts. I had never seen either one of her legs bare before…she always wore jeans. The leg I saw was so beautiful. I longed to reach out and run my fingers from her calf up to her thigh… and higher. I wondered what she was dreaming about.

"Ohhhh..." Bella moaned!

Oh shit! I resisted the urge to whip out my cock and stroke it again. Instead I walked over to her and whispered in her ear, "Hey, wake up."

"Whaaa?"

"You were dreaming," I grinned at her.

"Here, put these on," I handed her the pair of jeans and sweatshirt she wore earlier that were draped over one of the chairs.

"What's going on? Why?"

"Just come with me."

"Not until you tell me where!" She yawned "What time is it?"

"It's just after five, and no, I'm not gonna tell you where we're going. It's a surprise. Go get dressed," I nodded my head towards the bathroom.

When she came out of the bathroom I handed her a jacket, "It might be a little cold, put this on too." She must've brushed her hair in the bathroom; it was done into a semi-neat bun at the nape of her neck. I longed to plant kisses below the bun on her neck and feel the wisps of her hair against my nose and cheek.

I took her by the hand and she didn't pull away. Not that she pulled away earlier, but it still seemed significant somehow. I closed the door quietly behind us and we walked up five sets of staircases to the roof. As we approached the railing, she gasped, "Oh, it's beautiful up here. Are we going to see the sun rise?" she asked.

"No, it's too early for that. The sun won't be up for another hour or more. I just wanted to show you this," I wrapped an arm around her waist and to my surprise she backed into me.

"I love seeing the city lights in the dark," she mused.

"Me too. I come up here almost every night, just thinking about all of this," I waved my hand in the air. I knew she knew what I was talking about.

"I just wish you could do this without harming other people."

"I know you think I'm a monster."

Silence.

"Are you talking about the people on the Fifth Floor?"

"Yes. You have already violated several laws by barricading us off in this building."

"The building is owned by a friend..."

"Ok, but you have effectively taken over a part of the city. You've abducted hundreds of people-"

"-Only about 100-"

"Why can't you let them go?"

"That's what bothers my family most. The abduction. Every day we are making progress with residents on the Fifth Floor. I told you before that those who are coming to terms with their captivity are being relocated to our floor. Once on our floor they are questioned and if they appear to be in agreement, we give them as much detail about the relocation without jeopardizing the plan or themselves. We tell them we are going to an island, we don't say where, and that we plan to stay there permanently. We explain the living arrangements and accommodations we will have once we arrive. If they do not seem to be in agreement, they are sent back to the Fifth Floor. If execution is not the answer to dealing with the hostile residents, what is your solution?"

"When we leave-"

I interrupted her again "When _we_ leave? So does that mean you will come?"

"I don't think I have a choice. My brother is a part of this scheme and will take my nephews with him. I don't want to be apart from them forever. I want to be able to spend time with them whenever I want. So I guess my answer is yes. I will come with you and I am certain my mother will feel the same way."

"Good," I stroked her back.

"As I was saying… When we leave why not have Chris unlock the doors to their rooms and the rest of the building on our way out? This would work if we left at night. Threaten them with death if you must; to help prevent them talking about it. Leave a note or something. You took everyone's possessions the day I was taken. Tell them you still have all their cell phones, computers, and identification and that you can find them should they speak a word of it. Continue to keep them in the dark, don't tell them anything, then just let them go."

"What about those residents down there who already have a clue about what's going on? Do we let them escape?" I wondered.

"Whose names do they know? Do they know your name?"

"No. I make it a point to limit my acquaintance with any of them until I am one hundred percent sure of their loyalty, and even then I talk to very few people outside of my family and yours. They do not know Marcus, Chris, or Aro by name."

"Then I see no reason why that wouldn't work. Leaving at night would prevent them from rushing out of the building."

"I like the way your mind works, Bella."

"I just don't want anything to happen to my family. And I sure don't want to be implicated in this mess. Me having this conversation right now with you could make me an accomplice."

"This conversation is between me and you. No one ever needs to know," I gently turned her around to face me, looked into her eyes, and watched the blood rush to her face, creating a beautiful blush.

"If the sun isn't coming up for another hour or so, I think we should go back inside."

"If that's what you wish."

I took her to the kitchen off the Dining Hall and made a pot of coffee.

"What were you doing in my bedroom?"

"Now you ask," I laughed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and don't try to drag it out of me, I won't tell you. Maybe later. Besides, I have something else on my mind."

"Oh?"

"What do you think about sleeping in your own room? Are you comfortable enough here? I think Marcus should sleep in there with the boys." I would've loved to have her in the penthouse, but this shit seemed to be moving much faster than I imagined so I didn't mention it. "Of course you can come and go as you please between your family's rooms," _ and mine._ "Let me know and I'll have someone set it up for you."

"Thank you. I'll think about it."

"Are you hungry? Can I get you something?"

"No, I think I'd rather just have some coffee then go back to bed for a bit."

We sat and talked for another half hour then I walked her back to her room and hugged her. I really wished I could tell what was going on in her head.

* * *

Edward was stroking my face and combing his fingers through my hair. I tilted my head back and stood on my toes as he bent down to kiss me. The sandalwood mixed with Paul Mitchell hair products filled my senses and I felt tingly all over. His tongue entered my mouth and danced with mine. I could feel the hardness of him through his pants and rocked my hips towards his to feel it some more. I moaned. I heard a whisper in my ear.

Holy shit! Although I was happy to see him I was pissed as well. That was the best dream I had in a while. He said something about getting dressed and going somewhere. I knew it wasn't time for us to leave for Isle Esme yet. I would've heard talk about it via eavesdropping. He took me to the roof and I told him I would go with him to Isle Esme but I still had concerns about the residents on the Fifth Floor. He seemed to be willing to take my suggestion into consideration. Edward had me hook, line, and sinker and I wondered what I was getting myself into.

* * *

**A/N: Looking for stock options? Petrobas, Telmar, and Ambev are some of the top Brazilian companies. **

**Well well! It appears that Edward and Bella are having sexy thoughts about one another, and only after 2 days and 5 chapters! I think a time jump is in order... but how far?? **

**Reviews are appreciated but not required. Rob knows I don't review all the fucktastic fics I've read, it doesn't mean I love them any less, it's just a lot of the fics I read leave me SPEECHLESS!!! **


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